1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera, and particularly to a digital camera which is appropriate for an easy use.
2. Description of the Related Art
At a visit location, when it hurriedly becomes necessary to take a picked up image, there are many cases where a lens-fitted film unit is used. Because a lens-fitted film unit can be easily obtained in a retail shop or an automatic vending machine, even when a camera is not always carried with the person, the desired image can be photographed as necessary, and the recording can be remained.
On the one hand, a digital camera in which the digital image information obtained by an image pick-up element is recorded in a built-in memory or removable recording medium (hereinafter, sometimes simply denoted as “medium”), is widespreadingly used. In such a digital camera, in the same manner as the conventional camera, it has a feature that, not only a photographic print according to the obtained image information can be obtained, but further the digital image information is taken into a personal computer and various processing can be conducted on it. Therefore, also for the digital camera, in the same manner as the lens-fitted film camera, it is expected that it can be easily obtained in a retail shop or automatic vending machine, and a system by which a print of the photographed image and digital image information can be obtained in a low cost, is spread.
However, in the digital camera, because many electronic parts are necessary, it is difficult to produce in a low cost, specifically it requires more cost in order to guaranty the performance of the long period, a system is considered in which, after a predetermined exposures are photographed, the photographed digital camera is withdrawn and recycled. When it is not withdrawn after the predetermined exposure photographing, the digital camera is used for a long period of time, and because the quality of the photographed image can not be guaranteed, it is important in this system that the withdrawal efficiency is increased. Further, when the withdrawal efficiency is increased, by using the withdrawn digital camera for the re-production, the production cost can be reduced.
As the digital camera for increasing the withdrawal efficiency, for example, a camera is proposed which is disclosed in Japan Patent Laid Open 2000-228740. This digital camera employs a system by which the digital image information is stored in an internal memory, and the access to the internal memory is limited by a password. The password is stored in the camera at the time of production of the digital camera, and is controlled by the manufacturer. Accordingly, because the user of this camera can not freely use the digital image information, the user end up bringing the camera to a lab, and the withdrawal efficiency is increased as a result.
However, when the access to the digital image information is limited by the password, the control of the password by the manufacturer and the password acquisition at the image information utilization point such as a lab, are necessary, and the control burden to maintain the withdrawal system is large. Further, because it can not be used for the digital camera in which the medium is used, the processing based on the digital image information and the re-production of the digital camera can not be conducted in parallel, and the efficiency of the re-production is not increased.